choo-choo

here are a few of my strange (for me) catches

sheepie..freshwater drum

mudpuppy

burbot

mega-striped yellow perch(after being frozen for years and freezer burnt)15 striper

No need to be sorry.  Nice rigs.  I like them.   Hopefully the rodent is wrong & snow will be gone in a little over 6 weeks.     (Mine's buried in snow now)

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

Thanks Tom...I'm with you on the rodent being wrong!!   I Enjoy ice fishing, but i would rather be fishing in a boat ! I'm looking forward to your reports,and I hope it is a great year for you..and everyone!! Stay warm

Steve - did you copy in the IMG tag from Photobucket?   Pics don't show properly unless I click on them & then it goes to Photobucket.   I suspect you copied in the "direct link" & not the IMG.  (or else my computer has some serious operator error - which it's known for)

 

(yes - it happens with Modzilla also)

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

Hi Tom. I thought I highlighted the img, then hit ctrl/c to copy, then ctrl/v to paste here on the lou site. But i have not posted much this past year and might have screwed up.I'm not sure what happened....sorry.

Here are my rigs.

97 starcraft fishmaster

springtime west end, 4 mile campground. 1992 sea nymph

my North Carolina rig. 1992 key west skiff at cape lookout nc

this rig I've had the longest,bought it new in from Hyde in 1995

this am....just waiting for spring!!

Here are a couple ice bass..this one from Sandy Pond

this was a n.e.Pa. keeper

Congrats Pete...enjoy your retirement!

I hope she get's better real soon.

choo choo you are the man. Thank you for the specific info its exactly what I need tight lines and and stay safe buddy

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

You;re welcome bondouley. Good luck to you....catch a bunch    but be wary of gas holes and large drain holes, that might be just skimmed over this week end.

Bondouley, not sure if you got my reply to your pm...all fish were caught jigging...jigging raps in various colors worked good, tipped with emerald shiner or just head of bait at times.22 to 25 fow

Apps bait shop in cleveland north shore has all sizes of emeralds for jigging or tip ups...also an access there...and not far from godfrey boat launch access cleveland and taff...and  also jewell a little further east.

There is a bait shop near lewis point on south shore near south bay Verona called marion manor, not sure if they have emeralds or not.

Bartell road bait shop has bait too... west end of lake in brewerton

good luck and stay safe.

Here are a couple of pics from the weekend...saturday was a soaker...the 3 i kept

sunday was brutally windy...

3 smaller males i kept

Looking to go to Oneida maybe sunday for the first time in a couple years. I fished only out of Sylvain beach. Is this still a good spot or are there better areas? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Also is there any shorter walks to deeper water?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

 Are you going to target walleyes ?Sylvan beach can be good, but no structure, fish can be hard to find there at times... and a pretty long walk to deep water.

Lewis point, has a shorter walk to deep water...and some better drops and edges and structure to concentrate fish. I havn't fished lewis pt yet this year, so I'm not sure of the ice conditions there, but I had 12" saturday, and 101/2 inches yesterday on the north shore between constantia and cleveland. Some of saturdays holes were draining the ice and were BIG yesterday ! So beware of the old holes.Walleye Fishing was real good for me this week-end....good luck to you.

Merry Christmas Glen and Kelly !.....and all LOU members !!!

I've had coyotes stalk me several times while turkey calling and deer calling. I Loved having them come in on me. I stopped shooting them about 12 years ago, when I began to really enjoy seeing them ,day or night. They are swift, beautiful ,awesome hunters with incredible senses ,cunning, and stamina. Terrific family members, and the adult males play an active role in rasing their young and teaching them how to survive.They don't kill for fun..they only kill to eat. And they do a good job cleaning up and killing sick, wounded, small  , weak and less wary deer ,turkeys, birds , mice and small game.That is the way mother nature works. They migrated here and are able to adapt to shrinking habitat,and living close to humans, unlike the wolves.They are always super wary around here and the big woods i hunted in the catskills , and would high tail it out of the area when they saw ,smelt or heard a human. I was always amazed how they can pick you out,in full camo and being totally motionless.I understand  they can be a problem in certain areas with deep snows and low deer populations and suburbia...but where I  live and used to hunt,mother nature seems to keep things in balance. I know you guy's are going to hammer me. I understand why most of you have such strong feelings against them. I used to feel like that too.

 I've been dive bombed and attacked repeatedly by hawks and red-winged blackbirds...geese...and mute swans in the springtime along rivers and streams .

 The worst time i was "jumped " by a critter in the wild...was 5 or 6 years ago, while camping and surf fishing with my son on a desolate area on a barrier island, cape lookout north carolina. Low tide, real calm surf and we were having a ball  wading out waist deep, 20 yards off the beach, so we reach the outer bar with our lures, casting small surface plugs to "ladyfish" (awesome  little hard fighting and acrobatic fish) when a  6 1/2 / 7 foot bull shark mistook my freshly oiled sunscreened legs moving around underwater for a fresh fish meal!!

I am a lucky guy...lucky I was fishing and looking out for fish, not lust wading and swimming. My son saw the whole thing unfold from the sand  as I yelled SHARK!! !! And he screamed DAD !!!!! Still gives me goosebumps when I think about that fin, and shark, closing in on me.

You are off to a great start and it's nice to see someone so excited about trolling for muskies or just muskie fishing in general. I know I said this before, but you are really lucky to have someone show you the ropes. It can make a big difference, especially on a tougher body of water like you are starting with. I know when I started muskie fishing in 1998, I had a mentor that helped me quite a bit, and I've done the same for a few people now. Even though I've been at this for a while now, and have been fortunate enough to handle and release about 2000 muskies from my boat, I still love it and run like a kid on Christmas morning to every reel that goes off.

 

My advice, for what it's worth:  

Join a club, if you haven't already. Do what you can to help the sport and support your fisheries. There's lots of good, helpful guys that belong to Muskies Inc. Almost all of my closest friends now are from muskie fishing.

Don't take people for granted that are willing to help you.  Make sure they know how much you appreciate their help. Pass on some of what you've learned to somebody else when the time comes.

Keep having fun. Unfortunately, there can be lots of negativity around the muskie fishing community if you let it get to you. I know it's gotten to me in the past.

There is no substitute for time on the water. While getting a head start with the help from others is a great, learning on your own is how you will become a better muskie fisherman.

Keep a good log book of conditions and catch details. I've been doing it since I started. I still reference my older books every year. Successful trolling can be alot about repeatability. Paying close attention to water and weather conditions, line lengths, speed, depth, baits, colors, etc can put more fish in the boat for you. I have found what works at specific times on specific water bodies, works year after year if repeated.

Work to find a pattern every day you are on the water. This is tougher to do on low density waters, but finding a pattern to put multiple fish in the boat is my favorite thing about muskie fishing.

 

Enjoy the off season. Come check out some of the muskie shows this winter. There are two in PA and one in OH.

I can't wait for 2014 either.

Thanks for the great reply Ivan...much appreciated.  2000 muskies!! Awesome ! I will definately take your advice on keeping a log book, spending lot's of time on the water,doing some solo trips, experimenting ,paying attention to detail etc.. I will definately join a club if one sprouts up along the St. Lawrence...hopefully a musky inc. chapter. I did participate in the SUNY -ESF angler diary program this october/early november to help them in their study to evaluate the musky fishery status on the St. Lawrence....and volunteered to help in any way during their spring and summer spawning /nursery studies. They are monitoring the musky sport fishery, water quality, and  the spawning/nursery habitat,and educating the fisherman to the importance of catch and release, so the St. Lawrence musky population can be healthy and self sustaining.

 John Farrell is the study leader, and Director of the Thousand Islands Biological Station, and Jacob Runner,SUNY-ESF Syracuse NY is the lab manager for the study and angler diary program.

 Thanks again Ivan....good luck to everyone in 2014 !!

WOW !!! Conrats !!...Makes my muskies look like minnows!

My first year ever trolling for muskies and I really enjoyed it. I fished this past october and  into the first week of November before the first cold wave.I learned so much and it was really exciting at times...every strike is a super rush...and the hours trolling and waiting for a bite is surely worth the effort.

 My friends Bruce and Anne, showed me the ropes...what works in some conditions and locations, changing speeds and direction along certain structure and flats, keeping those plugs running at the right depths and weed free,...and always having the net,camera ,tools ready for a safe and quick release.

 I got to fight 5 Muskies, and was able to land 3 of them ( 45"...43"...33"..) . One of the fish I lost was a real monster...and the other was real BIG too,and she cleared the water 2 times during the fight, only to come un-buttoned just behind the boat. What a sight and thrill that was for me to see that fish clear the water like that....Man , they are awesome.

 All our fishing was done in the 1000 islands, just a beautiful place to be. I am looking forward to fishing those waters again,and trying some new spots and lakes next year.

Good luck solgrande!!...hope the wind is calm and one or more muskies cooperate !!

Dang...sorry I missed this Pete !!!!! I havn't been on LOU too much this year.I see you had a great birthday...hopefully many more for you.I miss running in to you down along the RR tracks...I promise to make a few trips from mexico over to Oswego this spring/summer to say hi...and maybe have a few cold ones ...  

Happy Birthday Musky Bob !!!!

NICE FISH !!

NICE !!

I'm dissapointed with the giants this year so far....but i am not gonna bad mouth them, or be to down on them ...because there have been a lot of GOOD YEARS !!!!   With  lot's of playoff action and some championships! GO GIANTS !

We tried some new water today...things started out like all the other days, clear and check lures for weeds and mussels, change lures ,change depths,change speeds...nothing... hour six..then we get slammed on a rigger ! I grabbed the rod and the fight was on. Steady run ,with those violent head and body shakes as Anne slowed the boat andBruce cleared lines and riggers. She sounded and shook and slowly I got her headed toward the boat as she surfaced 70" feet out. That sight took my breath away...said a little prayer... she took another run ,then she dove down and swam toward us ...reeled to keep up with her..she came up again real close ,as bruce slipped the net under her and hoisted her into the boat!!Wow! What a feeling!! A couple of quick pics...short revival..and she took off like a rocket. A day and fish I will never forget

I really enjoyed the musky inc meeting at O'briens this past saturday night.Nice meeting all you musky inc musky fanatics an the local musky guides.You guy's did a great job speaking and talking about your organization.Great job by capt. Bob , Waterwolf on the underwater footage...great stuff.

I hope all the Clayton area musky guides and fishermen realize what a benefit it would be to the st. Lawrence musky fishery by starting a local musky inc chapter in Clayton.I hope something get's going up there.

I'm headed back up there in the morning to do some musky trolling....can't wait...still haunted by that fish I lost a few weeks ago.

NICE !!!!